Finding Home
by Kai-Lun-Mau
Summary: Ranma gone? Happosai dead? Japan over run by Demons?
1. Prologue

Finding home.

By Kai Lun Mau

Ranma moved silently that night as he stared at the sleeping form of his panda father snoring on his futon dead to the world. It was getting to hard, too dangerous; the craziness just wouldn't stop. Saffron, the failed marriage, the craziness from fiancés and rivals alike, hell even Akane was becoming distant with him, no longer did they argue or call each other names. Hell she didn't even hit him any more. No it was long past time to go, he had two choices, seppuku or becoming Ronin. He refused to let his mom cut off his head because of his fat lump of a pop. He finally reached a decision and snuck out of his room and downstairs avoiding the squeaky third step and walked into the kitchen. Quickly he scrawled a note and addressed it to the household before he shouldered his pack and stepped out the door and took to the streets, had a stop to make before he left Nerima.

Cologne hopped up onto the roof of the cat café disturbed by a palpatal feeling of sorrow that triggered her senses. "Hmmm this has to be Son in Law's doing." She crested the rise and she balanced on her walking stick and stared at Ranma's back. "So son in law here, for a late night tryst with my Grand daughter are you?" She cackled gleefully as she watched his shoulders tense.

"I'm here to say goodbye honoured Elder."

She frowned. "Goodbye, where is that idiot father of yours dragging you off to this time." She studied his still form as the night-time air caused the silk shirt to ripple at its touch.

Ranma shook his head. "Like everyone else, you just want me for what I can bring to your tribe. I'm not a Horse Stud Cologne, I'm not prime breeding material, I'm dissolving the kiss of marriage, as a blooded Warrior it's my right. I have defeated Herb of the Musk, I have killed Saffron of Phoenix Mountain, enemies of your tribe and opponents you could not hope to match or defeat." He sighed and finally turned to face her and she was shocked at the expression sorrow on his face. "This has to stop Cologne, but as long as I am in the middle it's never going to. As of one hour ago I removed myself from the Saotome clan register and I'm leaving this chaos nexus of a town, don't try to follow me Honoured Elder cause all bets are off now."

She frowned at him and his tone and fought the urge to rap him solidly on the head with her cane. "I don't take threats very easily Son in Law, I may be three hundred years old but I still have some tricks left up these sleeves."

Ranma snorted as he looked at her with a serious expression and cracked his knuckles. "It wasn't a threat Cologne, I don't do threats, It was a bleak prediction of the future." She nodded at him.

"Well Son in Law it's been the best time I've had in fifty years it won't be the same without you." She hopped forward and with a deft flick of her cane went to strike him on the head playfully only for her cane to fall into four equal pieces and she stared at him in surprise.

"Yeah Shampoo learned about that the hard way she tried the bicycle of death routine when I was having a lousy day, I reacted badly and lashed out without thinking and the bike fell apart." He sighed with frustration. "It's one of the reasons that I'm leaving, I can't control it, it responds on instinct only and some body, probably Ryoga, Moouse or Kuno is gonna get the same treatment as Shampoo's bike or your cane."

Cologne nodded sagely. "The Neko-ken is manifesting itself physically now, you are making the right choice then Son in Law." She glanced over his shoulder and she gestured. "The sun is starting to rise boy and I'm sure the Eldest Tendo daughter will awake soon and I'm sure that she will find any letter you had left for them."

Ranma smiled a first truly genuine smile for the Elder amazon. "Thanks for your help, and thanks for all the schemes and tricks and ploys, they kept me on my toes." He grinned that cocky smirk that was his usually expression. "See ya old Ghoul." Wrapping himself in the Umi Sem Ken the pigtailed Martial artist vanished.

Akane sighed as she stood at the school gates as Ryoga and Kuno went at it yet again, the insane kendoists bokken flashed and cracked through the air striking against Ryoga's umbrella as they duelled for the right to date her. God one year had passed since Ranma leaving town and against every possible chance things had actually began to get worse in the town and with her life. Ryoga had turned into Kuno, he didn't spout the bad Shakespeare or grope her, but he claimed her like a prize, she was to be his fiancée and to date him. It was tiresome and routine and with a growl of aggravation her mallet appeared in her hand and with a quick over head strike Kuno found himself up close and personal with the pavement.

Ryoga folded his arms across his chest and smirked with triumph. "HA! She chose me!" Akane growled and swiftly swatted him over the head as well burying him face first into the ground next to Kuno before storming off towards the school in a bad mood. She had convinced herself that everything was Ranma's fault that he was always to blame, the failed wedding the countless kidnappings, everything was his fault, problem was he wasn't around anymore but everything was still happening to her.

She sat through her classes chewing the end of her pencil staring out the window wondering just where he was and what he was doing. A sudden commotion outside made the class grind to a halt as Happosai came bounding over the rooftop, bag of stolen underwear over his shoulder cackling gleefully as the mob followed behind on the pavement below.

Ranma's leaving had meant there was no one around able to stop Happosai's panty raids except for Cologne and she wasn't always around to stop the old pervert. Kuno was delusional, believing he could stop this dark sorcerer was one of greatest delusions, and while Ryoga had the strength he didn't have the speed and so the perverted little gnome ran rings around him. Her father and Mister Saotome were no use, they just kow-towed to what ever he wanted.

She ran from the classroom taking the stairs three at a time till she burst through the main doors out into the yard wielding her mallet, chasing after the mob of angry woman, who in turn chased the perverted little gnome.

Cologne sighed as she watched the mob go rushing past chasing the perverted little abscess on the ass of womanhood known as Happosai. It was getting out of hand, with Son in Law gone there was no one who could stop the little freak of nature. If she were honest with herself even she would be hard pressed to put an end to his current reign of terror. There was only one real option left to her, his collection, he would surely cease if he thought his collection would be put at risk because of his actions.

Quickly she hung the closed sign and pogoed away towards the Tendo dojo and into the den of evil itself.

__

Happosai's bedroom!

She shuddered with disgust at the panties and bra's strewn around the room, the smell assaulted her senses and her stomach. Placing her hands side by side palms facing forward she shoved slowly forward and though she wasn't touching anything the heaps of dirty and soiled panties moved slowly towards the open window. Cologne grunted and shoved forward hard with her hands and the air rippled and a noise like a crack of thunder rent the air and the wall crumbled under the stress and the rooms contents, the bed, dresser, all Happosai's little pretties spilled out into the Tendo's garden.

She knew sooner or later that the old pervert would soon return with his latest acquisitions in tow. While she admired the youngest Tendo's strength and determination, without Ranma around to slow the old pervert down so the mob could catch swarm over the old pervert Tendo's youngest daughter stood no chance of catching, let alone defeating Happosai.

Finally she could hear his gleeful cackle as he approached, mask stretched across his face, bag stuffed with undergarments on his back and she balanced on her walking stick and pulled out her pipe and lit it.

"Happi this has to end now!"

The old man landed like a cat on the walls' edge and cackled. "You wouldn't begrudge an old man his one enjoyment in life now would you?" He sat crossed legged and withdrew his own pipe and watched her carefully not wanting to provoke her what with all his pretties lying there in a heap.

"This has gone to far Happosai, a few items now and then, your evening panty raids tedious but forgivable, but now with Son in law gone you are on a rampage, morning noon and night." She puffed on her pipe till it glowed bright red and nodded towards the pile of dirty laundry. "It's a simple deal Happi, go back to how you used to behave or I will torch your collection!"

He grumbled arms behind his back and glared at her. "Fiiine I'll cut back."

Cologne snorted "I want to see your hands Happi, and I want an oath based on your honour and the Grandmaster of Anything goes Martial arts!"

Happosai shook his head his hands appearing from behind his back his fingers crossed. "No I wont you can't stop me" He launched himself off the wall in a snap kick towards Cologne who pogoed straight upwards and came down on top of the diminutive Grandmaster and planted him face first in the gravel path. She shook her head and held her pipe out over the pile of undergarments and let the burning tobacco fall onto the clothes, with a quick wave of her hand a slight gust caught the smouldering cloth and the fire quickly grew.

Pinned beneath the amazon elder Happosai screamed and struggled to get free to save his burning collection. "Noooooo nonono stop! My pretties!" He collapsed in a sobbing heap as the fire grew consuming his life's work.

Cologne hopped off of Happosai's back and shook her head. "You brought this on yourself Happi…oh and this as well." She leapt up onto the roof of the Dojo and watched as the gates burst open and the angry mob of women swarmed over the prostate little pervert and started to beat him with various brooms mops and various household items.

Slowly once the beatings had ceased Happosai slowly crawled from the crater and reached for the sky groaning painfully. "_P_r_ett_y L_a_die_s_!" He slowly crawled forward but suddenly a shadow loomed over him and he looked over his shoulder and gulped at the sight of a glowing Akane wielding her mallet.

"Happosai No Baka!" She swung like a pro golfer and she watched the diminutive pervert sail across the Horizon and vanish from sight.

Happosai muttered and grumbled as he slowly chalked the pentagram on the floor of the warehouse in Tokyo where he had crash-landed through the roof after Akane had sent him flying via Mallet Sama airways. He would show them, he would show all of them, he would make them pay for destroying his pretties. He cackled as he thought of the terror he would wreak upon his return with his new friend. He remembered the ritual from all the Amazon artefacts and scrolls he had liberated from the sacred library of the Elders. His chalked squeaked as it drew the final squiggle in the containment circle and he took his place at the head of the five-point star and began the summoning chant.

As he chanted his voice began to change, becoming deeper and more guttural as he progressed, little motes of sickly green light began to drift through the air, swirling on an unfelt breeze. The chant continued growing in volume and the motes of light slowly settled on the ground and trickled towards the circle swarming over the unnatural letters scrawled across the floor till the whole circle was lit with an otherworldly green glow.

Slowly in the circle of light a shadow was forming, the silhouette of malformed creatures that would make any normal person wet themselves with fear. Suddenly the lights surrounding the circle of summoning flared into brightness and the silhouette was gone replaced by a creature of flesh and blood. It towered over the diminutive martial artist by at least a couple of metres and its skin was covered in seeping lesions and it stared down through bloodshot eyes at him and growled.

Happosai cackled and rubbed his hands together as he leapt to his feet pipe in hand. "Hehehehe now sonny you will do as I command, that's the deal, and I want justice for all my burned little pretties!"

The creature's mouth opened revealing a maw of broken teeth and bleeding gums and growled. "**NO!"**

Happosai frowned. "Don't try welching demon, I have intoned the chant of Bel Shagriofeth, the circle of summoning is complete and the symbols of obedience etched within, no boyo you do as I say!"

The demon smiled in a horrifying manner and it's arm lashed out it's clawed hand snatching the little pervert from the ground and lifted him in the air till they were face to face. "**Your words are true little mortal…but only if the circle is prepared properly!**" It's jaw cracked as it opened, the lesions bleeding an oily grey as it's teeth closed around the little perverts head and with a crack like a walnut opening sank into the old mans skull.

With the Demon summoner dead at the creatures well claws the gateway remained open and demons poured through the hole between realms. Regular army troops couldn't deal with the threat, bullets and bombs couldn't affect the magic nature of the demons and within a month Japan was over run. The rest of the world quarantined the little island, hell the Americans deployed the fifth fleet to surround Japan so no one could leave.

Japan slowly crumbled, returning to its past of feudal kingdoms as the Government faltered and without the army to protect the citizenry, towns became walled forts whilst cities became smoking ruins as demons ran amok.

It seemed the only thing that could hurt the demons was a magical weapon or Ki/Chi soon enough Nerima became a safe haven of sorts protected by the NWC.

TBC…

AN: what can I say, well for starters my power supply burned out so I bought a new one, it's a simply job replacing it, problem was the new one was faulty…plugged it in ten minutes after doing so my computer blew up taking out the power supply with sparks shooting out the back, a processor that was only two days old and my ram decided to go with it….an expensive problem and time consuming, luckily I recently bought a lap top at auction so I could at least when bored start something new…and this is it.

Yours Truly

The Evil known as Kai Lun Mau


	2. Chp 1:

Finding Home

Cologne cursed ever meeting Happosai all those centuries ago, his base nature had led to this catastrophe that had befallen the land of the rising sun. The Demons while only in their hundred, possibly thousands had proven impervious to mundane weapons, and while Japan had its share of great martial artists and demon hunters there simply where not enough to combat the threat properly.

She twirled her walking stick deflecting the swinging hammer like blow of the Demon the NWC were currently trying to repulse from it's borders. Nerima was one of the few wards left in Tokyo that had not fallen to demon infestation. She was proud of all her students, with no way to get home or to bring reinforcements from her village here she had be forced to begin training the girls, all of the girls. And while Shampoo had the speed, Ukyo had the weapon skills it was the Youngest Tendo who had surprised her the most. It seemed Ranma had greatly underestimated the young girls potential and once she had broken her of several bad habits due to her teaching herself she proved a brilliant pupil. And while not in Ranma's class still worthy of being named an amazon warrior if she had been born in the village.

The three girls battled a second demon; mallet, bonbori and giant spatula used to great effect to rattle the creature's magical body while Ryoga was bludgeoning a third to death and his weighted Ki enhanced umbrella.

Suddenly out of the corner of her eye she saw Ukyo slip on some debris and the creature took advantage it's fist swinging in a backwards arc sending the girl flying into Shampoo knocking them both from the fight leaving the Youngest Tendo alone and vulnerable. Even she with three hundred years of experience was finding the creatures difficult to combat on a one on one basis. She felt a blow slam into her side and she winced as she felt a rib break, she turned her attention to her own foe and prayed to the Kami that the other girls would get back into the fight soon.

Akane watched horrified as her two friend, if it wasn't so serious she would have snorted at that, Ukyo and Shampoo her friends, after everything they had both done to her over the years she'd never have thought they would ever be friends. Except now she found herself alone facing one of the demons and she just knew she was going to get hurt…badly.

Her Mallet crackled as the Demons fist connected against her desperate block but the force behind the blow caused her to slide backwards across the ground. She hoped the other two girls would be able to get to their feet and back into the fight when the sound of an engine filled the air.

"DUCK TOMBOY!"

Instinct overwhelmed her and Akane ducked instinctively at the warning even though the voice was familiar and the words painful she dropped as a man on a motorcycle tore down the street between the debris and slammed on the front break. The back tire rose off the ground and the man shifted his weight and the bike spun on its front tire and the full weight of man and machine slammed into the demon knocking it off it's feet.

The demon staggered backwards under the blow from a bike travelling at roughly forty miles an hour and knocked it through the wall of a ruined store and crashed to the ground in a stunned heap

Akane stared through her blue black bangs at couldn't believe what she was seeing, it couldn't be him, after three years he wouldn't come back now. He hopped off of the bike and took position in front of Akane and watched as the demon clambered to its feet and roared

The man faced off against the demon his feet grinding through the pebbles and dirt to the solid ground beneath and took a loose stance but his fingers curled in against his palms like claws.

The pair moved almost as one, the demon lumbering forward arms wide mouth open revealing wicked looking teeth and slavering maw while the man darted forward and leapt high over the demons wild swing.

The mans arms moved in a blur and with a sound like a meat cleaver being used on a leg of ham the creatures are fell flopping around on the ground like a fish out of water. Green-grey blood sprayed from the ruined stump of the creature's arm and it bellowed agony as it lashed out at its tormentor.

The mans arms came up in a cross arm block and the creatures massive fist connected rocking the man back on his heels and he grunted from the force of the blow sliding backwards a few feet before darting forward pushing against the creatures elbow spinning it off balance and pressing his fist against it's stomach.

The creature howled in agony as Akane watched as its belly slit open, the foul blood spraying in a wide arc across the rubble strewn street. The man moved counter to the direction he had shoved the demon and like a can being opened the wound trailed after his closed fist till the creature ceased to bellow and silently slid into two separate parts. The top half of the demon slid free with a slurping noise and landed on the ground with a wet thump.

Akane shuddered as she looked at the man and the all too familiar pigtail that was longer than she remembered it being. "Ranma?" He voice little more than just a whisper but it seemed to catch his attention as his proud stance shifted, shoulders slumping and he slowly turned to face her blue eyes meeting brown and he stared at her.

"Akane…"

"Airen!"

"Ranma honey!"

He got no further as suddenly he was glomped on both sides, or would have been if he hadn't leapt backwards over the demons carcass and shook his head as Ukyo and Shampoo slammed into each other and both fell down into the spreading puddle of demon blood.

Akane's shock faded into anger, anger at the demons anger at her two friends who even after all this time still hadn't changed and anger at the young man standing nervously in front of her tugging his pig tail. She fought the urge to grab he mallet and start to play the Nerima version of whack a mole and so she snorted and turned folding her arms across her chest. It was then she noticed that Ranma wasn't the only new arrival, two men stood side by side next to a nervous Ryoga talking to him in jovial tones. They were using friend and it's a nice day in ways that told you they were not friendly and it had only been a nice day up till this point and that could change dramatically.

Standing beside Cologne was an old man, about twice her size but still far shorter than normal people dressed in a red and green silk robes and a young girl about the same age as herself dressed in grey robes and a black leather jerkin. A quiver half full of arrows rested on her hip and a bow was strung across her back. She leaned over and whispered something to the old man who nodded in return and began to walk over to them with a slight smile on her face.

Akane got her temper under control and smiled at the girl ready to thank her and her friends for their aid but when she said hello the girl walked straight past her. The girl passed with a glare for her and the other two girls who where still trying to untangle themselves from each other and walked up to Ranma and hugged him tight.

"That's for not getting hurt this time." Akane started to glow blue in anger before it was replaced with shock as the girl hauled back and slapped him so hard he fell on his ass a bright red hand print on his cheek and a rueful expression on his face as though he expected it. "That was for show boating!" She placed her hands on her hips and glared at him. "Grandfather has told you time and again you do the job that's in front of you and you get home alive!"

Slowly Ranma climbed to his feet slowly and smiled sheepishly while the girl rounded on Akane and glared at her again. "And don't think I didn't see you there either…hit him just once with that damn hammer and you'll need a gynaecologist to get it back."

Akane fought the urge to flatten them both and simply settled for glaring back at the new girl. "Who the hell are you people, hell I know who that baka is, but who the hell are the rest of you." She turned her attention to Ranma and glared. "And what the hell are you back for!"

Ranma shook his head sadly and looked at the girl. "I told Grandfather this was a bad idea me coming here with you." Shaking his head Ranma started to walk away towards Cologne and the man they referred to as Grandfather. Shampoo and Ukyo silent during the whole exchange and wary of the new girl hopped to their feet and trailed after Ranma trying to get his attention. The girl shook her head and turned to Akane.

"I'm Noriko, the two gentlemen talking to the walking pork chop over there are my twin brother Yoshi and my Uncle Akira. The old man talking to your Amazon is Grandfather Wu, we are members of the Order of Wang…we are Shih."

Akane stared at the girl blankly. "Is that supposed to mean something to me?" She yelped as she felt a slight blow to the top of her head and spun and glared down at Cologne. "What was that for?"

Cologne struggled against the demon, trying to quickly defeat it to come to her students' aid but every blow was countered every trick either ignored of expected and so she fought in a way she had not for almost two hundred years. Even the Hiryou Shoten Ha would not work as the Demon gave off no battle aura, no source of heat hot enough to work. Suddenly an arrow shot over her shoulder and buried itself into the Demons eye and punched out the back of its skull. It bellowed in agony as thick blue grey gore oozed from the ruined eye and the Arrow began to burn with a bluish green flame.

It scrabbled at its head and eye trying to remove the burning arrow when it lashed out in its frenzy bowling Cologne over and yanked the arrow free with a squelch and turned to finish the old woman off only to find an old man standing between them.

It growled gutturally, it would kill this old man and then it would kill the old woman that had hurt it so much. The old man smiled and if the demon had been human he would have known the rule about engaging wrinkled old men in combat but alas it didn't. As it loped forward the old man raised his hands pressing the palms together and started to prey, his prayer beads glowed a brilliant white and suddenly like a storm, paper began to rain own upon it.

The creature swatted at the paper assaulting it, trying desperately to scrape it from its skin as the old man started to murmur a cleansing prayer and paper exploded into blue flame much like the arrow had.

The demon howled and thrashed about on the ground as the cleansing fires consumed the evil that had created its corporeal form and the old man watched with a sad little smile before he turned to Cologne and bowed. "Greetings honoured Elder."

Cologne blinked in shock tearing her eyes away from the burned crispy husk that had once been a Demon and bowed in return out of respect for saving her life. "Greetings and my thanks for your aid, but I must attend to my students she went to hop past him only to be stopped by his arm blocking her way and the young girl who seemed to materialise next to the old man.

He smiled. "That will not be nesscessary, I believe my family have everything in order." He gestured at the three men and Cologne gaped as she watched two men help Ryoga finish off the demon he faced. She damn near fainted when she saw the third young man with his pig-tail and silk shirt gut the demon that had threatened the youngest Tendo only moments before.

"Son in Law????" She gaped at the young martial artist and she spun to face the old man who was chuckling behind his hand while the young girl scowled at her.

"I'm sorry Elder but by the laws of your own clan my grandson is not subject to your marriage laws." The young girl nodded and stormed off towards Ranma and Akane while Cologne rounded on the old man. "Look here Old man three thousand years of Amazon history and law say that boy is husband to my great grand daughter…and HE is not your grand son, I know that boy well and he is a Saotome."

The old mans smile faded and he looked at her like she was some kind of bug crawling through his soup. "WE are the descendants of Wang, as for the boy he was adopted into our family and village after performing a great service for us."

Cologne paled at the mention of Wang and she bowed her nose almost scraping the floor, forgive my disbelief but I did not expect to see one of the Shih here in Japan let alone five of you."

"Yes well my grandson has some favourable feelings for this place and he could not let it be destroyed." The old man smiled. "And as for how we are here that is a tale to be told over tea and better surroundings don't you think?" The old man calmly spoke as he walked towards the five young warriors in time for Cologne to catch the tale end of Akane's rant.

"Show some respect girl!" Cologne balanced on her cane as Noriko went to stand beside Ranma and the others, her arm sliding around his waist and Akane scowled. "They are a venerable order, demon hunters of the highest class and they are here to help!"

"We don't need help we are fine on our own, we certainly don't need his help!" Akane fumed her Aura burning brightly enough to illuminate the street.

"Girl I taught you to control that temper of yours and I will not tolerate it now! We shall return to the Dojo at once!" Cologne turned to Ranma and narrowed her eyes. "Well sonny think you can find your way back to the Tendo dojo?"

Ranma nodded silently looking every where but the fuming Akane.

"Good meet us there."

TBC…

AN: Well here ya go a new chapter and I wanna say thanxs for all the reviews and in answer to a question posed in one of the reviews Happosai died cause he believed the demon to be under his control. I mean how many times has the old Pervert been defeated because he was to cocky and was either distracted or surprised?

Yours Truly

The Evil known as Kai Lun Mau

"_Who needs a mask when you are a monster 24 hours a day."_


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